Shelves and supporting means therefor.



G E PICKUP SHELVES AND SUPPORTING MEANS THEREFOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 14, 1913.

Patented Sept. 15, 1914.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE E. PICKUP, 0F NEWARK, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE WEI- REE COMPANY, OF

' NEWARK, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

SHELVES AND SUPPORTING MEANS THEREFOR.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. PICKUP, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Licking and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shelves and Supporting Means Therefor, of which the following is a specification.

It is common to provide upon cook stoves, and more especially upon the upper framework of steel ranges, a shelf or shelves adapted to support kitchen utensils, as for example a coffee pot.

My invention has reference to such shelves and contemplates an improved swinging shelf construction in which the shelf is adapted to occupy a horizontal position when in use, and is further adapted to extend in a vertical position alongside its supporting bracket or frame when not in use.

My invention further contemplates the provision of improved means for supporting a pair of shelves upon a wall or frame me1nher, one at the inner side and one at the outer side thereof, in such a manner that both may be freely swung from their vertical to their horizontal position, and vice versa.

One of theobjects of the invention is to provide a shelf and supporting means in which the shelf when in its vertical position will lie within an opening in the supporting frame and substantially flush with said frame.

Another object is to provide simple and easily operated means for holding the shelf in its vertical position to prevent accidentally falling thereof. This means in the preferred form shown in the drawings acts to cause the shelf to automatically assume its vertical position when the shelf has been swung upwardly to a certain point.

Other objects and advantages of the in vention will become apparent from the following detailed description.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a side frame of a steel range having a pair of shelves mounted thereon by means embodying'my invention, the shelves being shown in their open or horizontal position. Fig. 2 is a fragmental front elevation of a steel range illustrating the relation of the frame and the shelves thereto. Fig. 3 is a fragmental vertical sec- Speeification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 14, 1913.

Patented Sept. 15, 1914. Serial No. 767,682.

tional viewthrough the rear portion of the shelves and the supporting means, the view showing the inner shelf in its horizontal pos tion, and the outer shelf in its vertical position. Fig. t is a fragmental horizontal section in the plane of line 1-4: of Fig. 1 illustrating in plan View the shelves in their open position and the supporting brackets therefor.

Referring to Fig. 2 of the drawings, A indicates the body of a steel range, B the topplate thereof, C the back, D the-warming closet, and E a frame member extending upwardly from the top plate B and supporting one end of said warming closet.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention which I have illustrated in the drawings, the frame E is provided with an opening 5, and the two shelves 6 and 7, which will be herein termed the inner and the outer shelves, respectively, are hinged to the frame E at the lower edge of the opening 5. Preferably, said opening is of the same shape as the shelves and has its edges beveled toward the outer face of the frame E to complement similar bevel edges on the outer shelf 7, so that the latter shelf when in its vertical position will lie Within the opening 5 and substantially flush with the frame E, the means for supporting said shelf permitting the shelf to occupy this position. The frame E has a stop lug 8 projecting into the opening 5 and arranged to determine the proper position of the shelf 7. The inner shelf 6 may be slightly largerthan the opening 5, so that the edges of the shelf overlie the edges of said opening and form stop means to position the shelf. Said shelf may have a notch9 to receive. the stop lug 8, so as to permit the shelf 7 to assume its proper position. WVhen the two shelves are in their vertical positions, the inner faces thereof will lie in contact with or at least closely adjacentto each other. By this construction an eX- tremely compact arrangement is provided, and by arranging the outer shelf 7 so as to lie flush with the face of the frame E, the appearance of the device is enhanced. Each of the shelves has a pair of trunnions 10 and 11, respectively, projecting horizontally from opposite lowercorners of the shelves. Two pairs of small brackets 12 and 13 are secured to the inner and outer sides, re spectively, of the frame member E adjacent to the lower edge of the opening 5, each of said brackets having a vertical elongated recess let or 15 to receive one of the trunnions 10, 11. Preferably, the frame E has integral portions 16 offset toward its inner side, thus providing recesses 17 in the outer face of the frame in which the brackets 13 lie, and providing bosses 18 having recesses 19 in which the inner brackets 12 are seated. A bolt 20 extending through two adjacent brackets 12- and 13 and having a nut 21 threaded thereon, rigidly secures the brackets to the frame E. The recesses 1'? and 19 assist in preventing a rotary movement of the brackets about the bolt 20.

As shown most clearly in Fig. 3, the trunnions 10 and 11 are offset outwardly, or in a direction away from the adjacent faces of the shelves when in vertical position, and the recesses 1 and 15 are correspondingly positioned with relation to the normal vertical positions of the shelves. Therefore, when the shelves occupy their vertical positions, the center of gravity will be at the inner side of or between the pivotal centers of the shelves, which are the centers of the trunnions 10 1.1, so that gravity will act to hold the'shelves in their vertical posi tion. The shelves are further held in this position by the following means. The shelves have notches 22 23 in opposite lower corners to permit the shelves to swing past the brackets 12 and 13. The upper or horizontal walls of these notches are beveled on their outer sides as indicated at 2e and 25, or in other words the said walls are provided with cams. In the upper end of the brackets 12 13 are cam portions or notches 26 27 which are arranged to cooperate with the cam portions 21 25, so that when the shelves are in their vertical position, said cam portions will cooperate to resist outward or downward swinging movement of the shelves. Vhen, however, force is applied to swing the shelves outwardly, the cam portions 24 and 25 will ride up on the portions 26 and 27 to permit such swinging movement. The horizontal position of the shelves is determined by stop portions 28 and 29 on the brackets 12 and 13 against which the shelves abut. When in this position, the trunnions l0 and 11 bear against the upper end walls of the recesses 14 and 15, as indicated by the shelf 6 in Fig. 3. Between the stop portions 28 29 and the notches 26 27, the brackets have arcuate or inclined surfaces 80 31.

hen the shelves are swung upwardly, the stop portions 28 and 29 act as fulcrums while the trunnions 10 and 11 are descend.-

within the recesses 14: and 15. When the horizontal edges of the notches 2e 25 strike the arcuate surfaces 30 31, the shelves rideup on said arcuate surfaces, carrying the trunnions upwardly in their recesses. As

soon as the cam portions 24 and 25 come into operative relation with the notches or cam portions 26 and 27, gravity acting upon the shelves will cause the shelves to drop into the recesses formed by the notches 26 27, the cooperating cam portions at the same time causing the shelves to swing inwardly into their normal vertical position.

ll hile I have herein described my invention in considerable detail for the sake of clearness, I recognize the fact that various modifications may be made from the form shown in the drawings without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. and I therefore do not limit myself tothe form disclosed, except as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim my invention:

1. The combination of support, a shelf mounted thereon for pivotal movement and rranged to occupy either a horizontal or a vertical position, a cam on said support sloping downwardly and toward said support, and a cooperating cam on the lower portion of said shelf arranged to be moved into cocperative relation to the first cam before the shelf reaches its vertical position, whereby the shelf will be automatically swung into such vertical position.

The combination of a supporting frame, a pair of brackets mounted thereon and having vertically elongated recesses, a shelf 'ng trunnions extending into said reee, a cam on the upper portion of one of said brackets, the face of said cam sloping downwardly and toward said supporting frame, and a cam on said shelf above its trunnion, said cams being arranged to be brought into cooperative relation before the shelf reaches its vertical position, whereby the shelf will be automatically swung by said cams into such vertical position.

In a stove, the combination of a support having vertically elon ated recesses, a shelf having a pair of trunnions extending into said recesses, said shelf being arranged to occupy either a horizontal or a vertical position, and cooperating cam portions on said support and said shelf arranged to hold the shelf in its vertical position, said cam portions acting to raise the shelf when pulled outwardly whereby to disengage said cam portions and permit the shelf to swing down into horizontal position.

4:. In a stove, the combination of a vertical supporting wall, a pair of brackets secured to one face thereof, a swinging shelf, trunnions and vertically elongated openings cooperating to pivotally connect said shelf to said brackets, said brackets having stop portions arranged to engage the shelf to support it in its horizontal position and having cam faces at their upper ends eX- tending downwardly and toward said supporting wall, and cooperating cam portions on said shelf, the engagement of said cam portions tending to sWing said shelf into its vertical position.

5. In a stove, the combination of a vertical supporting Wall having offset portions providing recesses on one face and bosses on its other face, a pair of brackets seated in said recesses, a second pair of brackets mounted on said bosses, means to secure said brackets to said wall, said wall having an opening therein, a pair of swinging shelves, means for pivotally connecting one of said shelves to one pair of said brackets to permit the shelf to lie in said opening flush with the wall when in its vertical position, and means pivotally connecting the other shelf to the other pair of brackets to permit the shelf to lie alongside said wall With its inner face adjacent to the face of the other bracket, said pivot means being so arranged that the line of direction of each shelf will fall between the axes of the pivot means, whereby the shelves will be held by gravity in their vertical position.

6. In a stove, the combination of a vertical supporting wall, said wall having offset portions providing recesses on one face and bosses on its other face, a pair of brackets seated in said recesses, a second pair of brackets mounted on said bosses, trunnions and vertically elongated openings cooperating to pivotally connect said shelves respectively to said brackets, said brackets having top portions arranged to engage said shelves to support them in horizontal positions and said brackets having cam faces at their upper ends extending downwardly and toward said supporting Wall, and said shelves having cooperating cam portions, the engagement of said cam portions tend ing to swing said shelves into vertical position, said pivot means being so arranged that the line of direction of each of the shelves will fall between the axes of the pivot means, whereby the shelves Will be held by gravity in their vertical position.

In testimony whereof I afiiX my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

GEORGE E. PICKUP. Vitnesses (has. H. HAHN, D. N. SKINNER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. O. 

